The Sports Report: UCLA falls apart in second half of loss to Minnesota

Howdy, I’m your host, Houston Mitchell. Let’s get right to the news.

From Ben Bolch: As UCLA surged into an early 17-point lead Tuesday, it looked as if the Bruins would make it a nightlong celebration of their coach and everything he represented.

With some inspired play in the opening minutes, Mick Cronin’s players heeded his warning about Minnesota’s being better than its crummy record. They played suffocating defense, forcing four shot-clock violations before halftime. They shut down the Golden Gophers’ top player, holding Dawson Garcia to five points by the game’s midpoint.

Even with some slippage in the final minutes before halftime, the Bruins still led by 11 points and it seemed as if the only thing left to decide would be how to celebrate Cronin’s 500th career victory in the locker room afterward.

What happened next inside Pauley Pavilion was a milestone of a different sort. This might have qualified as Cronin’s most deflating loss since he arrived in Westwood nearly six years ago.

“Hugely disappointing effort,” Cronin said after his team’s 64-61 loss left him stuck on 499 victories. “That’s really all I’ve got to say.”

True to form, Cronin went on to say a lot more after the Bruins (19-8 overall, 10-6 Big Ten) crumbled largely as a result of repeated defensive breakdowns and missing 10 free throws in the second half, including their last six attempts and the front ends of two one-and-one situations.

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On the verge of win No. 500, Mick Cronin indicates he’s content at UCLA

UCLA box score

Big Ten standings

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LAKERS

From Broderick Turner: The biggest Lakers news Tuesday was about the health of LeBron James and the increased minutes for Luka Doncic.

James, who didn’t play in Sunday’s All-Star Game in San Francisco because of lingering ankle and foot discomfort, has been listed as questionable for Wednesday night’s game against Charlotte at Crypto.com Arena.

“It’s something that we managed all year and it was sore over the weekend,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said after practice. “He was able to do most of practice today. But, like it’s been all year, like it’s a day-to-day thing. It’s just something that we’ve had to manage and we’ll continue to manage throughout the rest of the year.”

James, 40 and a 22-year veteran, is averaging 24.3 points, 9.0 assists and 7.7 rebounds over 34.5 minutes per game. He is shooting 51.6% from the field and 39.5% from three-point range. He played in 48 of the Lakers’ 52 games before the break.

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Kobe Bryant greets Laker Luka Doncic in new L.A. mural based off 2019 meeting at game

SPARKS

From Andrés Soto: Mercedes Russell said the quiet part out loud during the Sparks’ introductory news conference for her and fellow WNBA free-agent signings Emma Cannon and Odyssey Sims on Tuesday afternoon.

“Obviously, the basketball history in L.A. is deep … we’re going to be wanting to hang a banner,” Russell said. “We’re going to be wanting to win a championship.”

It’s an ambitious mentality for a team coming off the worst season in franchise history, but it’s one that Sparks GM Raegan Pebley has cultivated by reshaping the roster this offseason to complement their young core of Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson, especially with the addition of two-time WNBA champion and three-time All-Star Kelsey Plum. On paper at least, the Sparks look primed for a return to relevance in 2025.

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DODGERS

From Jack Harris: During the monotony of spring training, live batting practice sessions usually are structured like boxing matches.

One main event with a big-name pitcher, surrounded by a bunch of less notable undercards featuring unheralded arms.

In this Dodgers camp, however, the loaded pitching staff has turned such routine activities into star-studded affairs. The latest example: Tuesday’s rotation of batting practice sessions, with the Dodgers trotting out one star pitcher after the next in a display of their stunning depth of arms.

“I mean, we’re loaded,” said catcher Will Smith, who was behind the plate for Blake Snell and Kirby Yates. “Just gotta stay healthy, gotta keep those guys going and pitching well. It’s a long year. Still a hard game. So keep them locked in, keep them pitching well. That’s my job.”

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ANGELS

From Bill Shaikin: The city of Anaheim wanted out of the business of running a stadium. By selling Angel Stadium and the surrounding property to Angels owner Arte Moreno, the city would let him build a village atop the parking lots, and he could use the money he made to renovate or replace the ballpark.

In 2022, after the city killed the deal amid a federal corruption investigation into its former mayor, the Angels remained a tenant in the city-owned stadium. That compelled the City Council to ask two questions: Had the stadium been properly maintained in recent years? What would the stadium need to remain viable for several more decades?

On May 16, 2023, the council authorized a stadium evaluation for $325,000. The city executive in charge of the stadium told the council that night that the assessment and subsequent report would take “approximately two months” to complete.

Almost two years later, the project is not complete. It might not be complete for another year, and the cost is likely to exceed $1 million.

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THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1928 — Canada wins the gold medal in ice hockey at the Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Canada, represented by the 1926 Toronto University team, receives a bye to the final round. The Canadians beat Sweden 11-0, Britain 14-0 and Switzerland 13-0.

1955 — Bernie Geoffrion of the Montreal Canadiens scores five goals in a 10-2 victory over the New York Rangers.

1977 — Rod Gilbert of the New York Rangers gets his 1,000th career point with a goal in a 5-2 loss to the New York Islanders.

1982 — Atlanta’s 127-122 four-overtime win over Seattle equals the fourth-longest game in NBA history and the second-longest since the institution of the 24-second clock.

1984 — Phil and Steve Mahre of the United States become the first brothers to finish 1-2 in an Olympic event, the men’s slalom, at the Winter Games in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. The Soviet Union beats Czechoslovakia 2-0 to win the gold medal in hockey.

1984 — Cale Yarborough sweeps into the lead two turns before the finish to win the Daytona 500. He becomes the second driver to win consecutive Daytona 500s; Richard Petty was the other.

1993 — Wendel Suckow edges two-time world champion Georg Hackl of Germany by 0.106 seconds to capture the first world luge championship medal of any kind for the United States.

1994 — Speedskater Bonnie Blair wins the fourth gold of her Olympic career with her third consecutive 500-meter victory.

2002 — In Salt Lake City, bobsledders Jill Bakken and Vonetta Flowers give the United States 21 medals in the Winter Games. Flowers becomes the first Black athlete in history to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics.

2005 — Lindsay Kennedy becomes the first woman to play in a Major Indoor Soccer League game. Kennedy, a St. Louis forward, participates in the final 76 seconds of Milwaukee’s 7-3 win over the Steamers at Savvis Center.

2005 — Schreiner ends its NCAA-record losing streak at 83 games, beating Sul Ross State 75-69 in a women’s basketball game. It’s the Division III Mountaineers first win since Jan. 17, 2002, when they also beat Sul Ross.

2012 — American star Hannah Kearney’s all-discipline record for consecutive FIS World Cup victories ends at 16 with a semifinal loss in a dual moguls event at Naeba, Japan. Kearney’s streak began in Lake Placid, N.Y., on Jan. 22, 2011.

2012 — Steven Holcomb and brakeman Steve Langton win the two-man bobsled in Lake Placid, N.Y., the first time the U.S. captures this event at the world championships.

2014 — Norway wins the first Olympic mixed relay in biathlon at the Sochi Games and Ole Einar Bjoerndalen becomes the most decorated Winter Olympian ever with 13 medals. Ted Ligety wins the giant slalom with a dominating performance, becoming the first American man to win two Olympic gold medals in Alpine skiing.

2017 — Laura Dahlmeier wins the world title in the women’s 12.5-kilometer mass start, becoming the first to win five gold medals at a single biathlon world championship.

Compiled by the Associated Press